With one semester of school closing, a new semester at JSU's WLJS opens with a
new set of equipment.

92J has installed a new control board to update the studio to today's
radio standards. The old board in the station was over 25 years old. The
old system was analog, using tape cartridges called carts and CDs to
play music, commercials and public service announcements. Carts are not
very reliable recording devices. The tape sometimes drags and causes the
sound to be distorted, according to student media director Mike Stedham.

The new board is digital, eliminating the use of carts and will enable
the DJ to use computer software to program songs and produce commercials
in the on-air studio. "We wanted to make WLJS as much a good training
ground as possible for people who were going to work in radio," said
Stedham. "[The students] needed to use the kind of equipment they would
encounter when they went to professional radio stations."

One of the advantages of having a digital board is music can be
programmed in and played automatically, without having a DJ in the
studio. Music can be cued with the touch of a button or played
automatically at a specific time. "We used to play re-broadcasts of old
shows between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m.," said Jason Bozeman, director of 92J.
"Now we're gonna be playing music that's stored in the computer."

During National Public Radio broadcasts, public announcements,
commercials and local news can be played at a certain time
automatically, said Stedham.

Although the new board could cut down on the number of DJs in the
studio, 92J believes in having live DJs and taking requests, according
to Bozeman. "That's what makes us ... an original station in this area."

92J is always looking for more volunteers to work at the station. Any
student interested in radio can volunteer. "We are always looking for
people who want to be in radio to come do a shift or two for us a week,"
said Stedham.

The new system is currently in use.

"I think it's great for the station," said Bozeman. "I think it's gonna
be one of those things that helps keep us on the edge of college radio
in the state and help keep us one of the best."